The Guys Who Brought Guns to a Pokémon Tournament Were Denied Bail

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Courtesy Boston Police Department

A Boston judge denied bail to two men after they were arrested for allegedly making threats online aimed at the Pokémon World Championships.

As the Associated Press reports, Judge Thomas Horgan rejected the arguments made by Kevin Norton, 18, and James Stumbo, 27, that their comments about bringing weapons to the tournament were just online bluster.

Norton and Stumbo are both Pokémon card game players and headed to Boston to register for the tournament on Aug. 20. Police say they found an AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, nearly 300 rounds of ammo, and a hunting knife in Stumbo’s car after they stopped the two men as they arrived at the tournament.

The police were tipped off when they were notified of a Facebook chat between Stumbo and others that referenced things like “Columbine pt 2,” “Boston bombing” and “another Boston massacre,” prosecutors said. Other chats also included threats from both men, according to police. There also were suspect social media posts, such as the one Stumbo allegedly posted that included a photo of his car with two guns crossed over the hood, with the caption reading, “Kevin Norton and I are ready for worlds Boston here we come!!!“

Stumbo and Norton’s lawyers plan to file a motion to dismiss the charges, and argued that the alleged threats were just the way the men and their peers talked to each other, and that they’re being overblown. The AP reports that since bail has been denied for the two men, they’ll wait in jail for at least four months before going to trial.